Outdoors: Desert Wildlife Unlimited sets annual dinner

We're bombarded each year by nonprofit fishing and hunting organizations asking for our hard-earned cash.

With money too tight to mention these days, some of these organizations aren't worth our time, energy or money. And for the most part, we figure out which ones are worth it, which aren't.

I have my own list of the good and bad ones, but the one that rests atop that “good” list the way Doane Pond sits atop Palomar Mountain is Desert Wildlife Unlimited. No organization consistently does more pick-and-shovel, on-the-ground work than Desert Wildlife Unlimited Inc., founded by Brawley's Leon Lesicka and some dedicated men and women in Imperial Valley.

DWU's annual meeting, barbecue and raffle is Jan. 31 at the Brawley Lions Center, 225 A St. in Brawley.

This is DWU's main fundraiser. If you've hunted the DWU-Department of Fish and Game's Upland Game Bird fields for doves, pheasants or quail, or hunted deer in the D-12 zone, this is a chance to give something back to the organization that made that possible. The money ensures more work will be done in the future.

DWU figures show that 20,000 hunter days were logged at the dove and pheasant fields last year. DWU also took title to the Imperial Wetland site, and a new wetland site is nearly ready south of Shank Road. A third wetland site is planned near Holtville.

DWU, with the help of volunteers, installed five new desert drinkers last year and performed maintenance on many others. The crews hauled water to the drinkers that hadn't received any rain and now deer and other wildlife will have water.

Another five drinkers have been approved for 2009 and seven more are projected.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The night includes an Imperial Valley-style barbecue.

The raffle includes shotguns and rifles, with individual raffles for each special item. DWU is accepting donated guns from the membership to raffle off during the event. DWU will pay for and arrange the paperwork to transfer any donated guns to the new owner.

For more information or to donate a gun, call Lesicka at (760) 344-2793.

There also will be a silent auction. For information on making other donations, call Cindy Vandiver at (760) 344-0660 or (760) 344-5171, or check the Web site: desertwildlifeunlimited.com.

Notables

Seminar: Ed Howerton and Dennis Burlason, former Open Bay Bass Tournament champions, and Doug Kern will give seminars tomorrow from 1 to 4 p.m. at Sundance Marine on Mission Bay. The San Diego Anglers Open Bay Bass Tournament is Jan. 24. Representatives from the San Diego Anglers will be at the shop tomorrow to answer questions about the tournament, the fishing event of the year on San Diego Bay.